


The Starving Times

by ScreechTheMighty



Series: Good news, hell just froze over [1]
Category: Mad Max Series (Movies), Snowpiercer (2013)
Genre: Cannibalism, Crossover, Gen, Harm to Children, Violence, Voluntary Amputation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-11 20:24:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4450952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScreechTheMighty/pseuds/ScreechTheMighty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They ate the weak. But they wouldn't eat this one. He wouldn't let them.</p><p>(Updated on 3/8/2017 as part of my Great Fic Cleansing of 2017.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Starving Times

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: This fic does deal in cannibalism. While I don't describe the actual act, it is something that is happening in the back of the Train. So yeah. If you think the rating should be bumped up, let me know!
> 
> I'd contemplated what Max in the Tail End would be like and it made me INSANELY SAD but I wrote it anyway because I'm some kind of sadist. And now I have all these ideas and sort of want to write more. Why do I do this to myself.
> 
> Edited this fic on 3/8/2017 to update a POV style and fix questionable grammar/sentence structure/writing in general.

_Curtis._

That was one of the last things Max heard before the pain dragged him down.

Curtis. The ringleader. The one who'd done this to his family.

In his lucid moments, he repeated the name to himself. Curtis. Curtis. Curtis. Every repetition was a promise. He'd find the one named Curtis and kill him. No matter what it took.

When he could stay lucid for longer than a few minutes, he got out of his corner. Trying to walk made his knee feel like it was going to shatter. He did it anyway. Kept dragging himself forward, one hand resting on the wall. He hadn't worked out  _how_ he was going to find or kill Curtis. Just that he was going to.

As he stumbled over the other starving, filthy bodies, he heard screams. He froze, looking around, trying to find the source.  _Jessie...?_ He started moving again, as fast as he could. Pain was unbearable; his body shook, but he kept walking. By the time he reached the sound, one set of screams had died. Another replaced it. There was a body lying on the floor and he thought...for a second, he thought it was her.

But it wasn't. Just another woman. Some other mother. Someone else they'd killed.

Someone else's baby they were holding now.

He locked eyes with the person holding the squalling infant. Knew the bloodstained face. Looked for a spark, a hint of recognition. Saw nothing.

Didn't matter. What mattered was that he was holding someone else's baby. And that he'd done this before. And that he was never going to do it again.

Never. Again.

+++++

She heard the struggle before she saw it.

Furiosa peered down from her hiding place in the catwalks. Another squabble over  _resources,_ she guessed. You saw that sometimes. After the group had caught whoever they were going to eat, fights broke out as to who'd get first bite. Except...

Except the man yanking the baby away wasn't one of the gang members.

He was turning and running, still holding the baby, and the others were chasing him. The man's gaze kept darting around, eyes wide and frantic. Where did he think he could hide?  _She'd_ barely managed to hide herself, Valkyrie, and the girls when they first got here. What did he think he was doing?

Suddenly, he locked eyes with her. Furiosa felt her heart skip a beat. He ran her way, still holding the baby. She was expecting a fight, even reached for the length of pipe that was the only weapon she had. But when he reached her, he didn't try to fight. He didn't even try to climb up to her. He just shoved the baby up towards her, and said one thing:

"Take him.  _Take him._ "

He was giving her the baby. He was giving the baby to her, a woman who hadn't been involved in any way with those people, and was somewhere high up and safe. He hadn't been trying to steal the gang's dinner for himself. He was trying to save the baby.

Furiosa immediately scooped the baby into her arms. The stranger's face relaxed. The fear that had been there was quickly replaced by something else. Not anger;  _rage._  Before she could offer him a hand up or ask him any questions, he turned around and ran straight for the gang.

He was going to keep fighting them. _  
_

_What a_ fool.

+++++

Max singled out the one called Curtis and threw himself at him. For a few satisfying seconds, he was able to get his fingers around Curtis's throat. Then he was ripped away by the other two. Someone punched him in the face. In the stomach. "Where's the kid?!" yelled another. " _What'd you do with the kid?!_ "

He snarled and spat and struggled to break free of their grip. He saw Curtis scanning the catwalks, trying to find the grease-stained woman who'd taken the baby with her. She'd moved away from where Max had seen her last. Max kept searching. Spotted her again at about the same time Curtis did. " _Hey...!_ "

Curtis ran after her. Max tried to follow and only succeeded in sending himself and the other two toppling to the floor. He hit his head on impact. Felt everything go fuzzy.

Saw Curtis trying to get up onto the catwalk.

Saw him tumbling down again, blood spurting from his nose.

Saw him try to get up again, and saw someone (an older man) intervening.

"...me the knife...!"

No,  _helping._

"...just give me the knife..."

Max struggled again, but it was no use. He saw the older man take the knife. Saw Curtis start explaining which way he'd seen  _her_ disappear. Heard the man interrupt: "If you're so hungry, take this."

Saw him dig the knife into his own arm.

The entire Tail End fell silent. Max heard strangled cries and saw blood. Lot of blood. Spilling onto the floor.

It was the last thing he saw before he passed out.

+++++

It was a miracle. A sick, twisted fucking miracle.

The old man gave his arm for them to eat, so they'd leave the baby alone. No one in the gang took it (damn cowards just looked scared, shaken), but others did. Others came forward to help the old man, too. And then, as the day went on, others started taking limbs off--hands, feet, sometimes whole arms and legs--and giving them for people to eat.

Furiosa chose not to get involved. She hid in the upper levels with the baby and the others until the lights went out. It was only then that she crept out and down to the floor. She was hoping, maybe, that someone had a bit of arm left over that they'd be willing to give her, or that there was a body somewhere that no one had gotten to. She found a few bones in one corner, intact, which meant marrow. Nearby, she found the man from earlier, the one who'd given her the baby. He was curled up on the ground, shaking, barely conscious. No one was helping him; they probably haven't noticed him. Too busy finding somewhere to sleep or eating.

"...hey." Furiosa crouched in front of him and poked him. "You dead?"

He opened an eye. The other eye was too swollen to open. The gang must've given him a hell of a beating. His good eye focused on her. She saw his good eye light up with recognition. "...the baby..." he croaked.

"He's alive. Finally stopped crying, too." She saw his body loosen with relief. "You saved his life, you know."

"...me and...the old man..."

"Hmm."  _I wonder if he's alive._ "Can you stand?"

He glanced away from her and nodded. "Well, c'mon. You should get somewhere safe." She helped him to his feet. He glanced at her, startled. "Those guys might've gotten a meal, but they'll probably still hold a grudge. I'm Furiosa. What's your name?"

Again, he looked away. "...does it matter?" he asked quietly.

She sighed. "Fine. I'll call you Fool, then."

He gave her a startled look, as startled as he could with one busted eye. But he didn't protest. Fool it was. "Why are you...?" he asked.

"Why do you think? You can stay down here if you want, or you can come somewhere safe." She offered him her hand. "Well?"

He hesitated, glancing from her hand to her face. Slowly, warily, he took it. "Good choice."

+++++

Max almost passed out again as the woman (Furiosa) hauled him up into the catwalks. Wasn't just his knee anymore; it was everything. He barely remembered following her across the structure. Came back to himself in time to see a woman hunched in an isolated corner. She was visibly pregnant. Also, visibly holding a knife. "Who's  _this_?" she said, tilting her head towards Max.

"It's okay," she said. "He's reliable. He's the one who got the baby."

The other woman's gaze softened. She was still wary (couldn't blame her) but she didn't look like she was going to use the knife on him. "Keeper will be back soon," she said. "You find anything?"

"Some marrow." Furiosa glanced at Max. "Already dead."

He relaxed. Hadn't realized he'd tensed at the mention of bone marrow until she reassured him. Already dead was... _sick,_ but fine. Already dead...

He'd be lying if he said he hadn't done it, too.

Furiosa passed the other woman the bones. The woman slid back a panel in the wall and passed the bones in. He saw a pair of dirty hands take them. Small. They had other kids.

Other kids that no one would hurt.

"...how's...?" he started to ask.

"He's fine." The woman leaned into the hole and spoke softly. More hands passed out a small bundle. "All tired out, the poor thing. A little boy."

Max stared at the bundle. He could just make out a face--dirty, still streaked with salt tracks from his earlier tears. But he was alive. He was  _alive._

"You want to hold him?" Furiosa asked.

He wasn't sure he did. But he wanted to know, for sure, that the baby was all right. So he nodded.

The baby was heavy in his arms. Still fast asleep. Max's vision blurred as he looked down at the child. His chest hurt, but he could breathe again.

This one, at least, was safe.

This one, at least, he'd been able to save.

**Author's Note:**

> For reference, Furiosa has both arms as of right now (she loses it later), and is about 20. Max is 25, Valkyrie is 26 (and also Grey's mother in this AU), the girls are ages 3-5 (and Cheedo hasn't been born yet). And yes, in this AU, Curtis and anyone who was killing babies with him is the one who killed Max's family and screwed up his knee. Can you tell I put a lot of thought into this. I'm in too deep. Send help.


End file.
